Duties and Responsibilities: ﻿﻿The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is a 5,000-acre protected area located on the South Slough inlet of the Coos Estuary in Charleston, near
Coos Bay. Established in 1974 by the Oregon Legislature, it is a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and DSL. The mission of the South Slough Reserve is to improve the understanding and management of estuaries and coastal watersheds in the Pacific Northwest. The South Slough was the first of 28 reserves nationwide and is the only program of its kind in Oregon.

The reserve has two core areas of service delivery: education and science. Education staff provide classes and training for a wide variety of clients, including schoolchildren, science teachers, local decision-makers, and professionals involved in managing estuaries and coastal watersheds. The reserve’s interpretive center offers informative displays and a system of hiking trails for tourists and area residents. Scientists provide research data for national and regional organizations.

The reserve is guided by an eight-member,
governor-appointed Management Commission, chaired by the director of DSL. Staff are located at both the reserve’s Interpretive Center and at the University of Oregon’s Institute of Marine Bio­logy in Charleston. The reserve employs 16 full-time staff, is supported by a large cadre of volunteers, and hosts numerous student researchers and interns on an annual basis. The Friends of South Slough, a membership, all-volunteer nonprofit group, assists the reserve with its educational and research activities, and obtains grants and other funding to promote and support the reserve’s programs.